Amateur-built Kitfox accident near Niwot, Colorado, December 24, 2005
On December 24, 2005 at about 4:25 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox, registered N94CV, was destroyed in an accident near Niwot, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper in-flight decision to perform aerobatics at a low altitude resulting in a loss of control and impact with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of aerobatic experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 2005 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Niwot, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox
- Registration
- N94CV · no longer on the register · serial ECZ 007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane flying low over a reservoir, pull straight up, perform a "barrel roll", reverse direction, and depart the area. Approximately 30 minutes later, the airplane returned to the area, flying in an east to west direction, approximately 100 to 200 feet agl over the ice-covered reservoir. As the airplane reached the west end of the reservoir, the airplane went straight up and performed an aerobatic "barrel roll" maneuver. The airplane then descended straight down and impacted the edge of the ice-covered reservoir in a nose-down attitude. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded operation. The pilot had not logged any formal aerobatic training.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 710 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 617 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 793 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48V Erie CO at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 16,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from BJC, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.